New York man freed after 17 years in prison

NEW YORK - A New York man walked free Tuesday after 17 years in prison for murder, after it was determined that false testimony had been used to convict him, authorities said.

Roger Logan, 53, who had maintained his innocence despite his conviction, was exonerated thanks to the work of a Conviction Review Unit evaluating about 90 cases, prosecutors said.

Logan was arrested and then convicted for the July 24, 1997 murder of Sherwin Gibbons, who was shot dead in Brooklyn after a game of dice.

His sentence to 25 years to life rested largely on the testimony of a neighbor who put him at the crime scene. It recently came to light however that she was not where she testified she was on the day of the crime, claiming that she spotted Logan there.

"In the interest of justice, I have asked the Court to vacate the murder conviction of Roger Logan," said Brooklyn prosecutor Kenneth Thompson.

So far, the review unit has helped overturn another seven convictions; In 11 other cases, convictions were upheld.